


The Interview

by ficdirectory



Category: The Fosters (TV 2013)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Parent-Child Relationship, Stay Alive Universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-13
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:08:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22242361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ficdirectory/pseuds/ficdirectory
Summary: Isaac Martin and Jesus Adams Foster escaped their kidnapper ten years ago.  Media outlets all over want to interview them.  But Isaac and Jesus aren't comfortable with strangers.  It seems like a hopeless situation until Isaac gets an idea that will change everything.
Comments: 34
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

Isaac swears and slams his laptop closed. 

There’s never a break from the media. From requests. Especially after Christmas. Everybody wants to get their stories ready to air in time for summer. For the ten-year-anniversary of the day he and Jesus escaped.

“Bro, are you getting these?” Isaac seethes, calling Jesus up right away.

“Yeah, all the time, dude.”

“What are you gonna do?” Isaac asks.

“I don’t even know, man. I need some time to figure it out.”

But then it’s March and Mariana’s in a major car accident. Ike is useless in Santa Barbara, freaking out over someone that’s not even his relative...but she really does feel like it.

Isaac knows Mariana kept Jesus going. And Jesus kept Isaac going. So, in a way, they all relied on one another to stay alive. Ike knows it would be the least he could do to go out there, but he can’t make himself do it.

He just stays home - in his new apartment - alone. Feeling trauma press down on him from every direction. It’s a relief. And it’s not. Because it’s a little like what happened to him and Jesus. They got home. But not right away.

Mariana’s recovery is gonna take a while. And it’s no secret that she’s gonna need Jesus there. (He is there. A lot. To the point where Isaac feels guilty for calling Jesus at all, even though Jesus insists that he wants to be in touch. But it’s been hard, learning how to share his bro with Jesus’s actual sis.)

Ike hangs back and doesn’t ask about LA-related stuff until it just cannot be avoided anymore. When all three of their birthdays have passed in May. 

Until it’s June, and he has requests from Good Day LA (seriously, Ike would never…), The Today Show, GMA… Unfamiliar numbers won’t stop calling.

Finally, Ike gives up and calls Jesus. His trauma’s on such high-alert that he needs to talk to him anyway. Hopes that he’s not interrupting Jesus being there for Mari.

“Hey,” Jesus says.

“Hey,” Ike replies. 

“They hounding you, too?” Jesus wonders.

“Yeah,” Ike responds.

“Bad?” Jesus asks.

“Pretty bad,” Isaac confirms. “They’re not taking no, Jesus… It’s… They don’t realize how much that…”

“Brings us right back There,” Jesus confirms softly. “I know.”

There’s silence.

“So…” Jesus hedges. “What did you wanna do?”

“I wanna take their power away,” Isaac insists lowly.

“How?” Jesus asks. “They’re major media outlets, Ike.”

“I know...but how do you think they’d feel...if we scooped them?” Isaac asks.

“I don’t get it,” Jesus responds sounding confused.

“I mean...what if  _ we  _ interviewed _ each other _ ?” Isaac wonders. “Put that up on YouTube… Close the comments? We wouldn’t even have to be in the same place. I mean, we could be… Sorry, I ramble when I’m nervous. What do you think?”

“Can I think about it?” Jesus asks.

“Yeah, of course…” Isaac says, feeling let down. He knows the press isn’t going away. Especially if they can’t get to Jesus. (Isaac doesn’t know what he’s done to insulate himself from them, but he’s definitely seen Jesus’s parents on the news from time to time...so maybe that’s enough to satiate them…)

\--

The days drag by. It’s three days into June. Then five when Isaac finally hears back from Jesus.

“Took you long enough,” Isaac blurts the second he takes Jesus’s call. “Sorry,” he apologizes. “It’s just...not getting any better on my end…”

“Well...I think...I wanna do it,” Jesus admits. “But there. At your place. Is that cool?”

Ike smiles. “Yeah! Yeah, are you kidding?”

“Also...I talked to my friend, Dominique….she’s been through something kinda similar...and she didn’t have the media exposure we had when we were missing. I get it’s...annoying as hell now...and triggering...but like...there are kids out there who don’t have anybody looking but their families. Sometimes not even that.”

“That’s bleak,” Isaac offers.

“So...I asked Dominique if she wanted to take part in what we’re doing.” Jesus admits. “I know I should’ve asked you. It was kinda spur of the moment.”

“No, are you kidding. If we can help other people, I wanna do that. I hate having the spotlight only on me, or us...when there are so many other kids out there who don’t have the same public support. What did Dominique say?” Isaac asks.

“She said, ‘ _ On one condition _ …’ She needs it to be equal. So, like, she doesn’t feel outnumbered by dudes.”

“Makes sense,” Isaac nods. Does she have somebody in mind?” 

“No...but I do,” Jesus admits.


	2. Chapter 2

Isaac is really not sure how smart it is to have a young kid like Ava Acosta in their interview. 

She wrote to Jesus more than a year ago, in March. They’ve been in touch a little bit, Jesus a kind of mentor to her.

Isaac knows it’s not their interview. It’s probably better if it’s not that. Better to have Jesus’s friend, Dominique there, too. But a kid? Isaac’s sure her parents will never consent...until they do.

Until it’s Friday the 12th. Then, Jesus, Dominique, Ava Acosta and their moms are all crammed into Ike’s apartment. (With Jesus’s dog, Dudley, and Dominique’s cat, Roberta.)

Mrs. Williams and Mrs. Acosta agree to keep a low profile and are there for emotional support, though Mrs. Acosta does insist that if any of the questions get “out of line” or if Ava is uncomfortable, they are to stop the interview. Not go forward. Not put it on YouTube at all.

“I think that’s a good idea. For all of us, but especially Ava,” he says. (Ava looks uncomfortable at being singled out.) 

“Please, Mom. I’m not a baby,” she insists.

“I know you’re not a baby. But these kids are older than you. They need to be mindful of your age.”

“We will be,” Jesus reassures. “We promise.”

Isaac hands out the list of questions they’ve all come up with over the preceding days. There are so many. The difference between this interview and theirs will be that these are questions they actually want to be asked.

“Mom, I don’t want you to listen while we’re doing the interview…” Ava insists.

“I want you to...I mean...if you want,” Dominique tells her own mom.

“That’s fine,” Dominique’s mom reassures.

“That’s not fine,” Ava’s mom objects. “How do I know you’re safe during this interview if I can’t be here?”

“You can see the questions,” Ava offers. “Here. See? Nothing bad,” she insists.

Marcella Acosta takes her time reading over the questions. Jaimie Williams joins her, reading, too. Finally, with the moms’ stamp of approval, they’re ready to move forward. Or they would be, if Ava’s mom could calm down.

“Does anybody want tea?” she asks, nervous.

“No thank you, Mrs. Acosta,” Isaac says.

Finally, Dominique’s mom, Mrs. Williams takes Mrs. Acosta to Ike’s guest room to talk. It gives the four of them some privacy, but not too much - a compromise that suits Dominique, Ava and their moms - Mrs. Acosta grudgingly.

“So, I was thinking…” Ike offers softly. “If it’s cool with everybody. We all have a copy of the questions. So each one of us can feel free to strike through any questions we don’t wanna be asked. And I was thinking, it might help us all feel more comfortable if we could pick who we want to interview us.”

They get to work, busily blacking out questions. It’s easy enough to choose who they’d prefer to interview them: Isaac and Jesus immediately choose each other; Ava and Dominique choose each other. (Ike can see how it could have felt unsafe, or awkward or imbalanced with two guys and Dominique.)

Ike and Jesus let Ava and Dom go first while they hang out quietly in Ike’s room. Jesus brought headphones to cancel the noise. Ike uses his own to listen to music to pass the time.

Then, it’s their turn.


	3. Chapter 3

It’s weird being interviewed by your best friend.

Isaac tries to just see it as a conversation between bros but knows, too, that it isn’t that. That this is the farthest thing from that.

Dominique and Ava give them privacy, going outside to walk around with each other while Isaac and Jesus interview each other.

Afterward, Isaac gets them all together again. “What do we think? Do you want me to edit this? Or do we feel like everything goes?”

“We didn’t really give any context,” Jesus realizes. “To our situations.”

“That’s what Google’s for,” Ava points out. 

“If you’re Googleable,” Dominique interjects. “I don’t mind not having context around me.”

“Me neither,” Ava agrees.

“I guess I’m just used to providing it,” Jesus realizes. “I hadn’t ever really thought it was an option...not to say anything…” he admits.

“Do we want to have a section where we’re all together, talking to each other?” Isaac asks.

“Do you want context?” Dominique asks Isaac.

“No. I think, like Ava said… If somebody wants to know they can find out for themselves.”

“What would we talk about together?” Ava asks.

“I don’t know…” Isaac admits. “I just think...there could be something important in that. Presenting a united front or something…”

“I get that…” Dominique hedges. “Just...I want to be able to see all of it. To consent to all of it, before it’s posted. So don’t just put it up when we’re done.”

“Got it,” Isaac insists.

\--

It takes time for them all to watch the videos. And decide if they want anything edited out. And more time for Isaac to do the requested editing and make the video into something that looks kinda professional.

He wants this to be something the public can go to - refer to - so he doesn’t have to keep dealing with questions from the public and requests from the media. 

He’s not naive. Isaac knows this isn’t going to stop everything. But it’s his hope that putting something out there will help cut down on the amount of harassment they’re getting - and maybe share a little of the spotlight with Dominique and kids like her. And having Ava there feels major, too. Letting kids her age know whatever it is she wants them to know.

Before Isaac posts it, he sends it to Jesus, Dominique and Ava to be sure they’re okay with the final product. Ava’s parents also want to see it before Isaac puts it up.

To be honest, this whole thing - whole process - is doing nothing but making him even more nervous. Waiting means nothing is actively, actually being done to stem the tide of people who want something from Isaac, and who don’t listen when he says no.

Finally, Ike hears back from all of them. 

He has the green light.

It’s not the 12th anymore, but so what?

Isaac doesn’t want to give the media the satisfaction of something so neat and tidy. 

Life is messy. It doesn’t happen on a timeline.

God knows, Ike’s sure didn’t


	4. Chapter 4

_ [Video begins, focused on JESUS] _

**JESUS:** So, yeah, you can just go whenever.

**ISAAC:** Okay. This is weird. But...okay. So...basically...what do you want people to know.

**JESUS:** That’s the thing. I think what I want them to know and what they want to know are totally different things. Like...they want details, you know?

**ISAAC:** Right.

**JESUS:** I want privacy. I want respect. I want space. I want to not only be known as that kid for the rest of my life. What about you, dude? What do you want people to know?

**ISAAC:** I want people to know...that I was there, too. I’m sorry. It sounds so selfish to say--

**JESUS:** Dude, no it doesn’t.

**ISAAC:** It doesn’t?

**JESUS:** No. Keep going.

**ISAAC:** I want people to know that I was there, too. And that even though that’s true, our experiences weren’t identical. I want people to know that we hate it when you see one of us and ask about the other. It’s bad enough you’re trying to violate our privacy, especially if we don’t know you, but don’t ask us to violate each other’s.

**JESUS:** That’s so good. 

_ [Video cuts to DOMINIQUE and AVA] _

**DOMINIQUE:** So...I know we just met so this is a little weird...but what did you want people to know?

**AVA:** Um… I don’t like it when they question me…

**DOMINIQUE:** You don’t like it when they question you? All questions? Are there particular ones that get under your skin?

**AVA:** _ “You could’ve used his phone to call for help. Why didn’t you? Why didn’t you run away?” _

**DOMINIQUE:** Ah. So, you don’t like the questioning of your actions?

**AVA:** Yeah. I mean… Why don’t they ask him why he grabbed me? Instead they’re acting like I’m the bad one for not running away sooner…

**DOMINIQUE:** I think you make a very good point. Society is quick to blame the victim...the survivor...and in doing so...they’re kind of shielding the perpetrator from responsibility.

**AVA:** Right, like...I was the child here. He was the grown man… Anyway, what do you want people to know?

**DOMINIQUE:** I think just...pay attention. I want people to know that missing kids...we might not act like you think. We might not be crying and screaming, _ “I’ve been kidnapped,” _ and that’s because the people who did it have made sure we’re too scared to try.

**AVA:** I was scared even when the cops came, you know? At the end?

**DOMINIQUE:** Me, too.

_ [Video cuts to close ups on ISAAC, JESUS, DOMINIQUE and AVA while words appear on the screen] _

**_What do you want to say about what happened to you?_ **

**AVA:** It’s not your business.

**ISAAC:** It’s really none of your business.

**JESUS:** Honestly, why do people even ask this?

  
**DOMINIQUE:** [stares into the camera, silent for a long moment] I don’t owe you that.


	5. Chapter 5

_ [Video cuts back to ISAAC and JESUS] _

**JESUS:** How does it feel to be asked questions about Then?

**ISAAC:** Crappy. Feels like I’m not even human. Just something people are entitled to get information from.

**JESUS:** You okay, bro?

**ISAAC:** Yeah, just, you know how it is. Do you feel the same?

**JESUS:** Angry as hell...because they’re asking now. When I don’t need people asking. It always makes me feel pissed off because...where were the people asking questions when we needed them, you know?

**ISAAC:** Yeah…

_ [Video cuts to AVA and DOMINIQUE] _

**AVA:** We were kinda just talking about this...but how did it feel to be free?

**DOMINIQUE:** That’s the thing! People always think,  _ “You must be so happy to be home!”  _ and I was. But things had also changed so much. I had changed so much. It was like...I wasn’t the same person.

**AVA:** I was scared for the longest time that it wasn’t even real. That something was gonna happen and I’d end up right back where I was. Even with my parents reminding me he was in jail… It didn’t help.

**DOMINIQUE:** Right, it’s more complicated than people think.

_ [Video cuts to JESUS and ISAAC, DOMINIQUE and AVA] _

**ISAAC:** So, what advice would you give to help someone just coming home?

**JESUS:** I’d say...make sure they feel safe, first of all. Let them know what to expect. Surprises can be scary as hell. You look like you wanna say something, Isaac…

**ISAAC:** Just that I agree. Having a routine when I got home was huge. And having choices. Getting to decide what I could handle, and what I couldn’t. For so long, we couldn’t do that…

**DOMINIQUE:** Ava? Did you wanna say something?

**AVA:** Sometimes, I didn’t want to be hugged?

**DOMINIQUE:** And it’s important for families to know that...because…

**AVA:** Because their kid or their brother or sister might not want hugs. And if you do hug them anyways, it might make them feel bad.

**JESUS:** Yeah. Our consent matters. That’s huge and a really good thing to mention, Ava. We definitely know what feels safe and what doesn’t. Even if it’s not unsafe to you, as a family member? You haven’t been where we’ve been. You know? And it’s even more important after something like this, that our consent is respected. 

**ISAAC:** Dominique, did you wanna add something?

**DOMINIQUE:** Just, give us space. Don’t start asking twenty questions about what we’ve been through. Let us know you’re here and willing to listen if we need to talk about it, but don’t insist we tell you.

**JESUS:** And don’t make it about you.

  
**AVA:** Yeah, it happened to us.


	6. Chapter 6

_ [Video cuts to JESUS and ISAAC] _

**ISAAC:** So, I know we wanted to talk a little bit about common misconceptions, right? What are some misconceptions people have about you?

**JESUS:** I’ve heard that I was just after attention when I was missing. Just a bad kid. Uh...I think sometimes people closest to us can feel like we’re being really selective and, like, picking and choosing when our trauma impacts us. But it’s not like that.

**ISAAC:** Yeah, say more about this, dude. Please.

**JESUS:** What do you mean?

**ISAAC:** I mean, you’re so good at articulating what we’re actually dealing with.

**JESUS:** Oh, thanks. So, it’s not really that simple. Trauma doesn’t heal in a predictable way. The biggest situations I ended up in where this misconception was a thing were, like, supposed to be fun? But people don’t get that fun is scary for us. It’s unpredictable.

**ISAAC:** Yes, or for me, early on it was holidays. Anything with a lot of people and a lot of action. That unpredictability again. People can think we’re just ‘deciding’ to lean into our trauma then, like it’s a convenient excuse. When, it’s a real thing. And also...what’s with the implication that people like us can’t decide what we can and can’t handle? Everybody else can have boundaries--

**JESUS:** \--and once you’ve been through crap we have? We definitely need to be able to establish our own boundaries and have them respected. Sorry. Did you wanna share misconceptions people have about you?

**ISAAC:** A big one was always that I was controlling other people based on my reactions to stressful situations. Another big one from the public is that I stayed There for six months because I liked it. [ISAAC looks into the camera.] I was chained to a pole for all but a very little bit of that time. The day we escaped, Mitchell unchained me, but I was too sick to run away.

**JESUS:** And people don’t realize it...but I tried to escape the year before we finally got away...and that got me… Mitchell...He slammed my finger in a drawer and kept it shut. That nail got black and fell off. After, He took me down to the basement and beat me ‘til He got tired. So I knew it was a huge risk. We did what we could.

**ISAAC:** Please don’t judge us. You have no idea what you would do.

  
  


_ [Video cuts to AVA and DOMINIQUE] _

**DOMINIQUE:** What’s one thing you think people don’t understand about what we’ve been through?

**AVA:** That...it makes you not like other people anymore. It changes you. Like, my teachers and stuff? They think I have tons of friends at school, but I really don’t have any. I have tons of people that come up and say hi. Wanna ask me questions. Or take a picture with me but they’re doing it for the gram.

**DOMINIQUE:** Yeah...I think isolation is what you’re getting at. And that’s such a huge thing. When we get back, there’s no one like us. No one who knows what we went through. And no two situations are alike. I mean...I happened to meet Jesus, like, five years ago...and yeah, our situations have similarities. Probably all four of ours do. But they’re also pretty unique to us.

**AVA:** Yeah… Did your teachers and stuff think you had friends, too, when you didn’t?

**DOMINIQUE:** No. I never let anybody that close back then.

**AVA:** What about you? What’s one thing that people don’t understand?

**DOMINIQUE:** That there’s inherent privilege that comes with being a missing white child. Particularly, a white boy. Or if you happen to have a white parent who’s also on the police force. Jesus and I went missing from the same city - a big city, but the same one - two years apart. Jesus had all of San Diego looking for him. Cops were super involved. Two years later, some of those same cops told my parents I’d run away. I was eleven years old and a straight-A student. Never been in trouble.

**AVA:** But because you were a little black girl, they were biased.

**DOMINIQUE:** People with privilege often don’t want to face that it exists. What they don’t understand is, it doesn’t make you bad. Every single person has some degree of privilege. What’s important is, using yours to help somebody else who might not have the same.

**AVA:** I wish I knew you were missing. I would have looked for you, you know?

**DOMINIQUE:** And if I could’ve, you know I would’ve been out there looking for you, too.

_ [Video cuts to ISAAC, JESUS, AVA, and DOMINIQUE] _

**JESUS:** So… How have our lives changed since what’s happened to us?

**DOMINIQUE:** Every way.

**AVA:** Yeah… Pretty much. I used to be really happy and stuff and now I’m quieter. People are like, “I miss you being happy. Where’s your smile? It’s been however long…” But it’s like, sorry. You don’t get over being kidnapped.

**JESUS:** I think that was probably the hardest thing for my family, too. That I changed so much. That, like you said, Ava, I wasn’t the happy kid they knew. (Even though I was never really that happy…) But yeah. My life has changed in major ways. It impacts everything. Where I live, how I spend my time, everything. I’m much more aware now. More even than before.

**ISAAC:** I kinda hate these questions… I’m fine answering it. But like… I don’t know? I guess I always get this feeling like...people are looking for a feel good answer? And the truth is...I would gladly take my former life. I mean, I love you guys...in a safe way...but I’d rather we never had to meet. It’s weird, too, because I used to be such an optimistic kid...but now I’m just… No. There is no silver lining. I missed out on time with my mom. She went through hell. We all went through hell. What we went through should’ve never even happened...yet the bulk of the responsibility rests with us to somehow turn it into something inspiring. And no.

**DOMINIQUE:** No, it’s not on us to make this nice for you.

**AVA:** No, there wasn’t a best part.

**JESUS:** No. No is a full sentence. So, no.


	7. Chapter 7

_ [Video cuts to JESUS and DOMINIQUE] _

**JESUS:** So, this is kinda a question that’s unique to the two of us. If a kid is forced to hide in plain sight, we’re not about to run up to them and say we’re kidnapped, unless we’re damn sure we’re safe… So, what should people look for?

**DOMINIQUE:** This question is so important. So, most of the time...all I had was my eyes. I wasn’t allowed to speak or step away from who I was with even for a second...so...all I could do was look at people. Try to telegraph them my desperation. 

**JESUS:** So...pay attention to kids around you. If someone noticed a kid sending them those kinds of desperate looks...what could they do?

**DOMINIQUE:** Ideally? Engage the person who has that child. Keep them there. Somewhere public. The longer they’re in public, and the more the person talks, the more you’ll learn. A big thing is, if you try to talk to the child and the kid gives you an answer that just doesn’t sit right. Or the adult speaks for her.

**JESUS:** Should a person getting vibes from a kid that the kid needs help call 911?

**DOMINIQUE:** Please. What about you? What should people look for regarding kids forced to hide in plain sight?

**JESUS:** Just pay attention. There were so many times...when I tried things to get people’s attention. I wrote my real name on my first spelling test back to school. Instead of realizing, ‘Hey, that’s the name of a missing kid from San Diego,’ my teacher sent a note home to my kidnapper about how I was dishonest.

**DOMINIQUE:** God…

**JESUS:** I got injured in school and sent to the nurse. I had to change my shirt, from long sleeves to a tee shirt. All these scars were visible. But my abductor taught me to lie so well that the nurse believed the story and never reported what she saw…

**DOMINIQUE:** So, if people see a name on a kid’s paper that rings a bell, or a kid gets hurt and has other, alarming injuries, don’t ignore that.

**JESUS:** My behavior should have been a red flag. My fifth grade teacher was the only one who sort of caught on. Suggested maybe I should be on an IEP because it looked like I needed accommodations in the classroom. What people don’t get is that trauma changes the brain, too. Kids who are traumatized can look like they have ADHD - I have both - so that’s confusing.

**DOMINIQUE:** You mentioned your behavior...that it should have been a red flag. What kinds of things?

**JESUS:** I did things that probably looked like I was clumsy, or a class clown, or just looking for attention. Maybe just weird? I went to a movie once with my fifth grade class...and I ended up crawling around on the floor of the theater during the movie. My teacher realized my behavior had a reason, and she was nice about it, but she didn’t realize it was because I was trying to deal with sitting through a movie that was probably my twin’s new favorite...and I was trying to deal seeing it without her.

**DOMINIQUE:** Sounds like it would still be difficult for people to really pick up on our cues. So, maybe a different question as a follow-up: What could adults do to make kids feel safe enough to open up?

**JESUS:** My one teacher in fifth grade...she gave me her time. She let me hang out with her. Just establish your classroom or your house as a safe place and let kids you’re around know they can talk to you. What could people have done to make you feel safe enough to open up?

**DOMINIQUE:** It wasn’t really like that for me. Luckily, there was a day I could get away a little bit and I found a really sweet elderly lady. I asked to borrow her phone while I locked myself in a public bathroom. She took one look at me and knew that I was in trouble. She stayed with me. Guarded the door from the men until the cops showed up.

**JESUS:** So, she paid attention and acted. Old people are the best. Isaac and I got picked up by an old married couple right after, too. Shout out to George and Fannie, if you’re out there, and watching. Thanks.

**DOMINIQUE:** And Roberta. Thank you.

_ [Video cuts to ISAAC, JESUS, DOMINIQUE and AVA] _

**ISAAC:** So, I bet a lot of parents are watching this and wondering what to tell their kids, to best protect them? Do you have any ideas?

**AVA:** Don’t make situation  _ too _ specific. My parents gave me a specific situation. Don’t take a ride from a stranger. Don’t take candy from a stranger. When it happened to me, it wasn’t a stranger. Say it can be someone you know. What about you?

**ISAAC:** That’s a really good point. I’m glad you thought of that. And I’d say...prepare them but don’t scare them. What happened to us is rare. Don’t ignore the possibility, but don’t make your kids terrified to go out. Give them information. Tell them yes, it could be someone they know. Teach them to trust their gut. That little voice inside them. Tell them to always walk with a friend. That kind of thing. Anybody else?

**JESUS:** I was told really good advice actually. Be his friend. Go along with what the person wants as much as I could. And that no matter what happened, my family would be at home, and they loved me.

**DOMINIQUE:** Yeah, it was real similar with my parents, too. They prepared me not just for the idea of it. They didn’t just give me a single soundbyte of advice, they gave me a plan. Steps to follow if I were to get taken.

**AVA:** Ooh, what were the steps? If you wanna share?

**DOMINIQUE:** Well, they told me that some adults out there wanna trick kids. And that if I ever did get tricked, it wasn’t my fault. The next step was that I was supposed to listen to whoever had me, and what was around me. Next, I was supposed to learn as much as I could about the person or people I was with. They said I might not like what I learn, but it was important that I keep right on learning. And last, that when I felt the time was right, I should tell an adult I felt I could trust. We role-played before that, too. Practiced screaming to alert someone around me. Kids are often unintentionally taught to be obedient to every adult they encounter, so it was vital that I got a feel for how it felt to scream for help and to know it was allowed.

**AVA:** That’s...wow. 

**ISAAC:** I think it’s interesting, and like...notable...that Jesus and Dominique, your parents actually prepared you for what to do if you did get taken. Do you think that helped you get home?

**DOMINIQUE:** Absolutely.

**JESUS:** Yes, for sure.

**ISAAC:** I want to thank you guys so much for talking to each other about this. And we just have one more question. Do you have anything you want to say to kids out there, who might be in the same situation we were? Maybe they’re still trapped? Maybe they just got home? What would you tell them?

**AVA:** I would say...if you just got home, I know it’s really different. Just, I know how you feel, I guess?

**DOMINIQUE:** Yes, that’s so important. You have community. We’re here. And there is no one way, and no right way to keep going after what you’ve been through. Take your time and...just try to do the next right thing.

**JESUS:** If you’re still missing, trust that you’re not forgotten. Hold onto that one person, or thing, or idea that keeps you going. For me, it was my twin. Whoever it is, doesn’t matter who. Just that they matter to you. Kids do come home from this. We did. And we believe you can, too.

  
**ISAAC:** What I wanted more than anything was an ice cream sundae...and my dog, Charles...and my mom. In that order. I think my mom knows that, and I hope she’s not offended. Anyway, to kids out there who might be trapped in a hopeless situation… If you can’t run away, we don’t blame you. If you’re feeling stuck, we know how you feel. And if you can’t make it home in a day, or a month? Even a year or more? It’s not your fault. Just do whatever you can to stay alive. Because as long as you’re alive, there’s hope.


	8. Chapter 8

Isaac taps on the door and goes inside, announcing his presence as he does. 

“Hey, it’s me,” he calls.

“Ike?” Mom says, coming to meet him. “It’s so late, are you okay?”

Mom’s newish Jack Russell Terrier, Pepper, is beside herself that there’s company. She probably smells Dudley on him.

“Yeah, I just… Is Derek here?” he asks, glancing around for his stepdad.

“He’s working late tonight. Come on in. Sit down. I’ll fix you a plate.” Mom insists.

Isaac almost protests until he sees Mom produce a pan of warm, fresh-from-the-oven biscuits. She sets the pan on the table, and goes back for the honey and the butter.

“What’s going on?” Mom asks, once she’s settled beside him and Isaac is busily assembling his biscuits.

“I just… I kinda did something? And I didn’t really check with you?” he admits.

“Honey, you’re 22. You don’t need to check with me every time you do something. It’s okay,” Mom reassures.

“No, but you don’t even know what it is… The media… They’ve been bugging me...and Jesus...for a while now. And I had enough.”

Mom looks concerned now. “You didn’t concoct another plan to use your Nerf gun on the paparazzi, did you?” she asks, humor sparkling in her eyes.

Ike laughs. At 13, it had seemed like a solid idea. Luckily Mom stopped him, before he put it into action. He shakes his head no.

“Okay,” Mom nods. “Good so far. I’m listening…” Mom says, resting her chin on her hand.

“So Jesus and I...and two other people that he knows...who have been through what we have...we all kinda interviewed each other? I put it up on YouTube this afternoon. It has a ton of hits, but I closed the comments… I just wanted you to know it’s there. So it’s not a surprise,” Isaac tries to explain.

“Honey… You haven’t done anything wrong. I promise. I saw the interview. I was your first subscriber, remember?” Mom teases gently.

“Oh, God…” Isaac blushes. “Don’t remind me. No, just kidding. You can always remind me… Wait. You… You saw it?” he stutters.

“I did,” Mom nods.

“And?” Isaac prompts, feeling dread wash over him. It’s always the very last thing he wants to do to hurt his mom, and he knows that hearing details about what he went through doesn’t always sit well with her.

“And I am so proud of you,” Mom says, shocking him.

“Wait. You...you are?” Isaac asks, shocked.

“And Derek’s proud...and you know Dad would be so proud of you,” Mom says, and tears come to Isaac’s eyes. Mom gets up. Comes back with water. And Hostess cupcakes.

“I’m fine,” Isaac manages. 

“You’re more than fine,” Mom insists. “You showed initiative, and thoughtfulness. You were selfless, including more than just yourself and Jesus when I know that can be scary. I know the media is relentless, honey. And triggering as hell, because they don’t take no, do they?”

Isaac shakes his head.

“But you know who does?” she asks. 

“You?” Ike asks, because he knows it’s true.

“You got it. Me, Derek, Jesus...Dominique and Ava...is that their names? They seem like they have very solid boundaries, too. I know the media can be intense. But you are still safe, Isaac.”

He leans forward and puts his arms around her, speaking into her shoulder. “Thanks, Mom. I love you.”

“And I love you. More than you know.”

  
_ But I do know _ , Isaac thinks. And he holds on tight.


End file.
